Saturday, June 13, 2009
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Silent Talk
Detective: Near silence, all I can here in the interview room is the clock ticking and the soft breathing of the two of us. She won’t talk, I try and coax anything out of her but, there’s nothing, not even a nod or a sign she can hear me.
Suspect: He’s just sitting there, staring, waiting for me to acknowledge his existence, waiting for me to talk. I know that I won’t, not because I’m guilty of a crime or scared, but because my memories blank, I can’t remember anything from that night. I can’t tell him that, he’ll think I’m lying, dad always said that it’s better for everyone if you keep your mouth shut.
Detective: I know she wants to tell me something, maybe she just doesn’t know how to start. Maybe I should just recite the facts of what went down last night; I know that most of the evidence is circumstantial. If she could just talk, Murphy’s alibi would crumble and the case would pretty much be closed. Ok here it goes.................
Suspect: The detective clears his throat, he looks nervous, like his whole career is riding on what I’m supposed to know. The detective begins to talk in a low firm voice “Now” he says “We know that you were at Crawford Plaza, during the hours of three and six AM. As seen on the CCTV of a corner shop. During the same time you were at Crawford Plaza, a robbery at the Abbey National Bank was taking place. The robbers got away with $25.3 million dollars. We already know that one of the robbers is Stewart Murphy”.
Detective: She looked up at me genuinely shocked at the crime and the amount that had been stolen. Maybe she really has nothing to do with the robbery, but she has to know something. After all her father was a friend of Murphy’s and after his death she and Murphy were spending a lot of time together.
Suspect: $25.3 million dollars, stolen from the Abbey, I can’t believe it. Suddenly all the memories are coming back. That night; I remember everything! Murphy had told me to keep away from the city area. That’s when I knew that Murph was up to something. After dad died he promised me that he would stop doing ‘side jobs’ because he felt responsible for me. I followed him; he spotted me and started yelling at me to leave. I told him that I wouldn’t, he knew how stubborn I am so he put his hand over my mouth and nose and that’s all I can remember, well that and waking up in a cell.
Detective: Three hours in and she’s still not talking, what if I put forward a deal. “Ok Miss Aberdeen, I’ll cut you a deal. We will overlook any of your involvement in the robbery if you give us the hiding place of your man, Murphy”.
Suspect: I knew it! He still thinks that I’m a suspect, and now he puts the deal forward. Perhaps I should tell him everything I remember.
Detective: Finally, it speaks! She starts talking, and for the first time I here her voice. It’s sweet and filled with honesty. She tells me that at first she actually couldn’t remember anything, but something I said triggered a memory. She says that she doesn’t need the “deal” and that the only way she’ll tell us where Murphy’s hiding is if he goes down for 2 years on good behaviour bond. The deal sounds fair. So I take it, and she tells me where Murphy’s hiding.
Suspect: Surprisingly he listens to me and takes the deal.............................
A happy ending.
Suspect: He’s just sitting there, staring, waiting for me to acknowledge his existence, waiting for me to talk. I know that I won’t, not because I’m guilty of a crime or scared, but because my memories blank, I can’t remember anything from that night. I can’t tell him that, he’ll think I’m lying, dad always said that it’s better for everyone if you keep your mouth shut.
Detective: I know she wants to tell me something, maybe she just doesn’t know how to start. Maybe I should just recite the facts of what went down last night; I know that most of the evidence is circumstantial. If she could just talk, Murphy’s alibi would crumble and the case would pretty much be closed. Ok here it goes.................
Suspect: The detective clears his throat, he looks nervous, like his whole career is riding on what I’m supposed to know. The detective begins to talk in a low firm voice “Now” he says “We know that you were at Crawford Plaza, during the hours of three and six AM. As seen on the CCTV of a corner shop. During the same time you were at Crawford Plaza, a robbery at the Abbey National Bank was taking place. The robbers got away with $25.3 million dollars. We already know that one of the robbers is Stewart Murphy”.
Detective: She looked up at me genuinely shocked at the crime and the amount that had been stolen. Maybe she really has nothing to do with the robbery, but she has to know something. After all her father was a friend of Murphy’s and after his death she and Murphy were spending a lot of time together.
Suspect: $25.3 million dollars, stolen from the Abbey, I can’t believe it. Suddenly all the memories are coming back. That night; I remember everything! Murphy had told me to keep away from the city area. That’s when I knew that Murph was up to something. After dad died he promised me that he would stop doing ‘side jobs’ because he felt responsible for me. I followed him; he spotted me and started yelling at me to leave. I told him that I wouldn’t, he knew how stubborn I am so he put his hand over my mouth and nose and that’s all I can remember, well that and waking up in a cell.
Detective: Three hours in and she’s still not talking, what if I put forward a deal. “Ok Miss Aberdeen, I’ll cut you a deal. We will overlook any of your involvement in the robbery if you give us the hiding place of your man, Murphy”.
Suspect: I knew it! He still thinks that I’m a suspect, and now he puts the deal forward. Perhaps I should tell him everything I remember.
Detective: Finally, it speaks! She starts talking, and for the first time I here her voice. It’s sweet and filled with honesty. She tells me that at first she actually couldn’t remember anything, but something I said triggered a memory. She says that she doesn’t need the “deal” and that the only way she’ll tell us where Murphy’s hiding is if he goes down for 2 years on good behaviour bond. The deal sounds fair. So I take it, and she tells me where Murphy’s hiding.
Suspect: Surprisingly he listens to me and takes the deal.............................
A happy ending.
The Chosen
It’s dawn, I can see the sun creeping up from behind the valley; but most of the others are still sleeping. I love this time of day, it’s the time I can reflect and think of what might have been. I have been here, wherever here is, for as along as I can remember; the itchy beds, bland food, affectionate visitors and monotonous cycle of everyday life.
Katharine is here, she always feeds us early. In a flash the enclosure is in a buzz, the occupants run to the feeding trays, eyes starring expectantly at her, it was a frenzy of hungry bodies waiting to eat. Seconds later, everyone slowly backs away from the trays. This was followed by a continuous growl; this growl is known by many and feared by all, it marked the entrance of Maximus 4000. From the very first time I set foot in this place, i knew, and everybody else knew that Maximus was the boss. If you asked around about Maximus you will find that he is the most ferocious and abusive occupant to ever have come through here.
Maximus stops growling and starts devouring the already sparse food. No one stops him, no one would even dare. After the incident he walks away and goes to his own little ‘territory’ where nobody is allowed to enter.
With a personality like Maximus has there is no doubt why he hasn’t been chosen. Being chosen is a mystery. Usually some random visitor comes for an hour or two; holds you, pats you, you know the drill. If they like you Katharine comes and takes you away. No one is sure where you go, but many have tried to escape to the outside world. Well you know what they say ‘curiosity kills the cat’.
Anyway, today is the day that those overly affectionate visitors come and take us away; most of us go willingly, but some do protest. I have been picked up many times and it seems like I am about to be chosen when they spot a cuter, better tempered individual and put me aside. There was something different about today, I had the feeling that I was going to leave here and that my life would change forever.
It’s time, and most of us now know the drill, look sad, draw their attention, be affectionate, but do not smother, walk away, this adds some mystic and finally purr and look like the cutest thing ever to have graced their presence. Easy they say! We have turned being ‘chosen’ into an art form, years of practise and a great number of near triumphs.
Suddenly, a young girl enters the enclosure; she glances at me, and has to do a double take. Slowly, she moves towards me, at this moment I know what it feels like to be chosen , and that I am going to be safe with my knew owner. As she picks me up, I meow goodbyes to my fellow felines and start my new life with a new name, Moonlight.
Katharine is here, she always feeds us early. In a flash the enclosure is in a buzz, the occupants run to the feeding trays, eyes starring expectantly at her, it was a frenzy of hungry bodies waiting to eat. Seconds later, everyone slowly backs away from the trays. This was followed by a continuous growl; this growl is known by many and feared by all, it marked the entrance of Maximus 4000. From the very first time I set foot in this place, i knew, and everybody else knew that Maximus was the boss. If you asked around about Maximus you will find that he is the most ferocious and abusive occupant to ever have come through here.
Maximus stops growling and starts devouring the already sparse food. No one stops him, no one would even dare. After the incident he walks away and goes to his own little ‘territory’ where nobody is allowed to enter.
With a personality like Maximus has there is no doubt why he hasn’t been chosen. Being chosen is a mystery. Usually some random visitor comes for an hour or two; holds you, pats you, you know the drill. If they like you Katharine comes and takes you away. No one is sure where you go, but many have tried to escape to the outside world. Well you know what they say ‘curiosity kills the cat’.
Anyway, today is the day that those overly affectionate visitors come and take us away; most of us go willingly, but some do protest. I have been picked up many times and it seems like I am about to be chosen when they spot a cuter, better tempered individual and put me aside. There was something different about today, I had the feeling that I was going to leave here and that my life would change forever.
It’s time, and most of us now know the drill, look sad, draw their attention, be affectionate, but do not smother, walk away, this adds some mystic and finally purr and look like the cutest thing ever to have graced their presence. Easy they say! We have turned being ‘chosen’ into an art form, years of practise and a great number of near triumphs.
Suddenly, a young girl enters the enclosure; she glances at me, and has to do a double take. Slowly, she moves towards me, at this moment I know what it feels like to be chosen , and that I am going to be safe with my knew owner. As she picks me up, I meow goodbyes to my fellow felines and start my new life with a new name, Moonlight.
When the animals...
Blurb - The animals at Midrow zoo are fed up with being mistreated and are now planning the greatest escape of all time. Predators and prey unite to overthrow handlers to escape to the wilderness, with an unexpected twist at the end.
This day started like any other, there was nothing special about it, nothing different. My stomach grumbled with hunger, the obvious result of not eating for days. Here, at Midrow, hunger pains are a normal occurrence. By the way, Midrow is where I live, housed with hundreds of other animals. Of course I have never really seen these other animals but I know that they’re there. I can smell them in the air and hear them in the breeze. I can tell that they feel as trapped as I do; just waiting for the day that they can run free.
Recently, there have been many rumours that something sinister is being planned by the handlers. The other Tigers in my enclosure tell me that the handlers have been having regular meetings, which seems suspicious. The birds in the zoo are escaping so they can communicate with other animals. All we have to do is wait...
As we waited, tension started to become apparent in the group. You see, Tigers aren’t used to working together, we’re very solitary creatures. Finally Makalu, one of the messenger birds, came. He brought news of something that they were calling ‘The great escape’. In his small, squeaky voice, Makalu told us what the birds had planned for us. I was surprised that all the other animals had agreed to the plan, we were last to find out because our enclosure is farthest from theirs. It was your basic distract, contain and flee routine explained Makalu. The birds would supply the distraction, we would team up with the other felines in the zoo to contain the handlers, and then we all just flee.
The plan seemed high risk, and I was worried about being caught. Makalu appeared to be trustworthy so I put my doubts aside. He said that the escape is taking place at feeding time, when all the handlers are in the enclosures. Makalu left in a flutter after realising that feeding time was in 5 minutes. We all got into our positions as our handler entered. He was skinny with dirty blonde hair and had a bucket of raw meat in his nervous grasp.
Suddenly, people started entering our area, locking us into cages. They wheeled us onto trucks. On the way, we passed Makalu and other animals, all being loaded onto similar vehicles. Their trucks door closed with a loud bang, followed by a blinding darkness.
The trucks engine spurred to life, and we slowly drove to our unknown destination. Long after we came to a stop, the door was opened to reveal the entrance to a new zoo. We were taken off the trucks and wheeled into brand new enclosures. No wonder the meetings the handlers were having seemed suspicious. They must have been planning our relocation to a better place.
We settled into our new enclosures very quickly, running around in our jungle and lazing by the billabong. Thank god, we didn’t escape, on that crazy day.
This day started like any other, there was nothing special about it, nothing different. My stomach grumbled with hunger, the obvious result of not eating for days. Here, at Midrow, hunger pains are a normal occurrence. By the way, Midrow is where I live, housed with hundreds of other animals. Of course I have never really seen these other animals but I know that they’re there. I can smell them in the air and hear them in the breeze. I can tell that they feel as trapped as I do; just waiting for the day that they can run free.
Recently, there have been many rumours that something sinister is being planned by the handlers. The other Tigers in my enclosure tell me that the handlers have been having regular meetings, which seems suspicious. The birds in the zoo are escaping so they can communicate with other animals. All we have to do is wait...
As we waited, tension started to become apparent in the group. You see, Tigers aren’t used to working together, we’re very solitary creatures. Finally Makalu, one of the messenger birds, came. He brought news of something that they were calling ‘The great escape’. In his small, squeaky voice, Makalu told us what the birds had planned for us. I was surprised that all the other animals had agreed to the plan, we were last to find out because our enclosure is farthest from theirs. It was your basic distract, contain and flee routine explained Makalu. The birds would supply the distraction, we would team up with the other felines in the zoo to contain the handlers, and then we all just flee.
The plan seemed high risk, and I was worried about being caught. Makalu appeared to be trustworthy so I put my doubts aside. He said that the escape is taking place at feeding time, when all the handlers are in the enclosures. Makalu left in a flutter after realising that feeding time was in 5 minutes. We all got into our positions as our handler entered. He was skinny with dirty blonde hair and had a bucket of raw meat in his nervous grasp.
Suddenly, people started entering our area, locking us into cages. They wheeled us onto trucks. On the way, we passed Makalu and other animals, all being loaded onto similar vehicles. Their trucks door closed with a loud bang, followed by a blinding darkness.
The trucks engine spurred to life, and we slowly drove to our unknown destination. Long after we came to a stop, the door was opened to reveal the entrance to a new zoo. We were taken off the trucks and wheeled into brand new enclosures. No wonder the meetings the handlers were having seemed suspicious. They must have been planning our relocation to a better place.
We settled into our new enclosures very quickly, running around in our jungle and lazing by the billabong. Thank god, we didn’t escape, on that crazy day.
"Crooked"
“Crooked”
I moved quickly, my hand sliding clumsily over the surface of the gun. Crap! The police are patrolling. I make a gesture for Dizzy to come forward and Clap to stay where he is.
Dizzy comes up behind me, out of breath and whispers, “I thought Shaw said that there weren’t going to be any patrols for another hour”. Shaw is a crooked cop that we have done jobs with, for months now. He tips us off when there is going to we weak/low police presence and makes sure that we can slip through security unnoticed. Our specialities are banks; casino’s and pretty much anything that requires safes, locks and explosives.
I replied, in an equally low voice “I know, it looks like Shaw hasn’t got his information up to date. We should turn back, we can’t risk being found.”
Its midnight and we’ve just come across our getaway car. We always leave it a good 2k’s away. Just to make sure that the cops can’t find us, and we’re all good sprinters so 2k’s a piece of cake. Clap mumbles something.
I can’t hear him, “What was that?”
In a much clearer voice Clap says “Who’s going to tell Shaw that we didn’t do the job?”
I replied, “It doesn’t matter; we’re not the ones who got the times wrong”.
In the end I’m picked, I call Shaw from a mobile phone he gave me. It makes it impossible for the cops to trace. “Hello”, I say in an apprehensive tone.
“Yes, what is it?” replies Shaw.
“Well, we couldn’t do the job tonight” I sighed.
“Why not!” exclaimed Shaw in an angry tone.
I respond, in a voice nearly as angry and as unforgiving as his “Well, if you had given us the right details, we would have an unbelievable amount of cash, but because you didn’t give us the right information, we nearly got caught; and remember, if we get caught your career as a cop is finished!” I imagined what Shaw’s face looks like right now and it made me laugh.
Instead of shouting like I had anticipated, Shaw responded in a voice that had a cold, unmerciful undertone “Don’t you dare threaten me, I’m untouchable, and besides, you don’t even know my real name and you’ve never seen me clearly”. I put the phone down, shocked, he’s right we have nothing on him. We’re just a thing he does on the side; I picked the phone up from the table. “Your right about that, but you still gave us dodgy details”.
“Ok, I get that I gave you guys the wrong details, but I really don’t care. Now, back to business; I have another job for you Quid, so meet me in three days at Tower Hill”. Then he just hung up.
The three days went by, and we made our way to Tower Hill. I spotted Shaw, he was limping into a dark alley way. We followed with the obedience of pet dogs. He was leaning against the damp, cracked wall of the alley. Shaw lit up the cigarette placed between his fingertips, the light illuminating his scarred face. For the first time Dizzy, Clap and I got to see the illusive Sidney Shaw. That’s when I realised that I knew the man leaning against the wall in a dark alley, in the wrong part of town, with the wrong sort of people. It was the great Danny Cole, the one that every cop aspired to be.
Everyone trusted him; he was the ruler of the city, with more power and respect than the Mayor. To think that even a guy like him who has it all, the perfect family etc, would be crooked was a scary thought. I thought that maybe he could be undercover, but on our second job together he shot and killed the security guard. That’s when I realised that you don’t ever really, truly know someone.
That thought made a chill go down my spine. I stopped walking and told the others to walk back to the car. They listened; they knew that I was being serious. “Oi!” Shaw yelled, “You petty thieves aren’t any good to me any more”. I turned around, he was power walking towards us with a hand outstretched. I heard a click, and a loud bang, and then I felt deep pain in my chest. I fell down onto my knees then I collapsed to one side.
I can see Clap and Dizzy they’re running away, towards the car. I hear something. It sounds like laughing; it’s coming from behind me. A few seconds later Cole’s Italian leather shoes are in front of my face. Cole crouches down, smirking he whispers in my ear “Did you really think that I would let you get away, I paid off your friends. They were happy to leave you here for dead......” I couldn’t hear the rest. I knew that the wound was fatal and that Cole wasn’t going to help me. I hummed my favourite song and drifted into a carefree nothingness.
I moved quickly, my hand sliding clumsily over the surface of the gun. Crap! The police are patrolling. I make a gesture for Dizzy to come forward and Clap to stay where he is.
Dizzy comes up behind me, out of breath and whispers, “I thought Shaw said that there weren’t going to be any patrols for another hour”. Shaw is a crooked cop that we have done jobs with, for months now. He tips us off when there is going to we weak/low police presence and makes sure that we can slip through security unnoticed. Our specialities are banks; casino’s and pretty much anything that requires safes, locks and explosives.
I replied, in an equally low voice “I know, it looks like Shaw hasn’t got his information up to date. We should turn back, we can’t risk being found.”
Its midnight and we’ve just come across our getaway car. We always leave it a good 2k’s away. Just to make sure that the cops can’t find us, and we’re all good sprinters so 2k’s a piece of cake. Clap mumbles something.
I can’t hear him, “What was that?”
In a much clearer voice Clap says “Who’s going to tell Shaw that we didn’t do the job?”
I replied, “It doesn’t matter; we’re not the ones who got the times wrong”.
In the end I’m picked, I call Shaw from a mobile phone he gave me. It makes it impossible for the cops to trace. “Hello”, I say in an apprehensive tone.
“Yes, what is it?” replies Shaw.
“Well, we couldn’t do the job tonight” I sighed.
“Why not!” exclaimed Shaw in an angry tone.
I respond, in a voice nearly as angry and as unforgiving as his “Well, if you had given us the right details, we would have an unbelievable amount of cash, but because you didn’t give us the right information, we nearly got caught; and remember, if we get caught your career as a cop is finished!” I imagined what Shaw’s face looks like right now and it made me laugh.
Instead of shouting like I had anticipated, Shaw responded in a voice that had a cold, unmerciful undertone “Don’t you dare threaten me, I’m untouchable, and besides, you don’t even know my real name and you’ve never seen me clearly”. I put the phone down, shocked, he’s right we have nothing on him. We’re just a thing he does on the side; I picked the phone up from the table. “Your right about that, but you still gave us dodgy details”.
“Ok, I get that I gave you guys the wrong details, but I really don’t care. Now, back to business; I have another job for you Quid, so meet me in three days at Tower Hill”. Then he just hung up.
The three days went by, and we made our way to Tower Hill. I spotted Shaw, he was limping into a dark alley way. We followed with the obedience of pet dogs. He was leaning against the damp, cracked wall of the alley. Shaw lit up the cigarette placed between his fingertips, the light illuminating his scarred face. For the first time Dizzy, Clap and I got to see the illusive Sidney Shaw. That’s when I realised that I knew the man leaning against the wall in a dark alley, in the wrong part of town, with the wrong sort of people. It was the great Danny Cole, the one that every cop aspired to be.
Everyone trusted him; he was the ruler of the city, with more power and respect than the Mayor. To think that even a guy like him who has it all, the perfect family etc, would be crooked was a scary thought. I thought that maybe he could be undercover, but on our second job together he shot and killed the security guard. That’s when I realised that you don’t ever really, truly know someone.
That thought made a chill go down my spine. I stopped walking and told the others to walk back to the car. They listened; they knew that I was being serious. “Oi!” Shaw yelled, “You petty thieves aren’t any good to me any more”. I turned around, he was power walking towards us with a hand outstretched. I heard a click, and a loud bang, and then I felt deep pain in my chest. I fell down onto my knees then I collapsed to one side.
I can see Clap and Dizzy they’re running away, towards the car. I hear something. It sounds like laughing; it’s coming from behind me. A few seconds later Cole’s Italian leather shoes are in front of my face. Cole crouches down, smirking he whispers in my ear “Did you really think that I would let you get away, I paid off your friends. They were happy to leave you here for dead......” I couldn’t hear the rest. I knew that the wound was fatal and that Cole wasn’t going to help me. I hummed my favourite song and drifted into a carefree nothingness.
Hurt My Soul
My knees are shaking, and now I’m biting the sheets. They’re coming for me . . . I know it; it’s time. I feel my heart skipping beats. I lay on the floor, waiting to hear the door to be kicked in. Bang! It’s started. I have the urge to scream out, but I know that it’s better to go quietly.
It is midnight, the room remains still. The smell of damp grass fills the air. I can hear the howling of wilds dogs. Where am I? Who would take me to this place? These are all valid questions, but I doubt that I’ll ever know the full answer.
The door of the room is opened, I can tell because its old hinges let out an eerie scream every time they are moved. Someone approaches the chair that I’m bound to. They bend down, and quickly loosen the tie. My swollen and probably red wrists sigh in relief.
I’m led into what seems to be multiple corridors. They still haven’t taken off my blindfold. Though I can not see, it feels like something has changed. I no longer feel like I am being imprisoned by walls. I feel at peace and free. Apprehensively, I loosen, and take off the blindfold. In front of me there is a door; it is half open, as if it is asking me to step through into another realm.
The suns rays pierce my skin; but I still walk on. Sweat is dripping off my body, just like tears at a funeral; but I still walk on. As I walk, each step becomes harder, smaller, slower. I can see the end is close, but I grow nervous. The sky is angry, and is close to pouring its anger on me. I force my steps to grow, quicker, bigger, lighter. I near the end as the skies darken. As I make my way, the skies let their anger go, suddenly the light is everywhere.
When I reach the end, I’m exhausted, surrounded by darkness. Impenetrable darkness, I realize that there is nothing after the end, that I should sleep. But, this is made hard; the darkness howls a deafening howl, like a dog howls at the moon. I will never have peace, I must wait, wait for the chosen one, only they will be able to release me from my self imprisonment.
I awake to a beautiful melody, it sounds like it should be sung in a fantasy; its fairy like and mythical. It calls me out of bed, where I rest my tired head. I find that I am in my tiny room, where you can hear the slightest boom! Something tells me that the clothes on the bed have been laid out for me. They come with a note; saying when to go, and where to be. But; I ask just one question, who am I going to see?
It’s late at night when I finally leave; the note telling me where to go is in the front pocket of my blue jeans. It is worn out, and damp from previously being in my sweaty hands. I approach the building; it is covered in an ugly shade of red paint, which is starting to fade and has a quirky doorknocker on the front. The building is situated in the bad part of town; I still wonder what is it that tempts them to this repellent place?
I knock on the front door with the awkwardly shaped door knocker. The series of knocks are followed by similar sounding echoes. A well built hairy man opens the door. Inside, there appears to be a party taking place. The people around me are in a deep conversational hum. Everyone is happy, everyone except me. He, the man behind all of this, looks into my eyes, deep beneath my protective cage. He finds me; the real me. He can see that my happiness is long gone; it had rotted away years ago. He saves me, rescues me from myself. He breathes life into my eyes and mind. He knows that I can no longer be happy, that my chance was long gone, but I can be content. For me that is a gift; a new life, a new beginning.
He turns away from me, and starts to walk through the shadow filled corridors. I follow him; his gait is long and emanates longing. He looks back at me every so often; I think that he wants to know that I’m still there. I feel like crying out to him, I want to tell him that I’ll never leave again.
I experienced an extreme moment of raw energy. This was followed by the realization that the man who I will never leave again, got people from his secret brotherhood kidnapped me and left me for dead.
I know why they did it, they think I know something, something that I’m not meant to know, maybe even something no ones meant to know. I realize that they aren’t going to let me go; not alive anyway. I turned around, he was power walking towards me with a hand outstretched. I heard a click, and a loud bang, and then I felt deep pain in my chest. I fell down onto my knees then I collapsed to one side.
A few seconds later his Italian leather shoes are in front of my face. He crouches down, solemnly, he whispers in my ear “Annieline, although I love you. You know I can not. Although I see you now, I will not. I will not mourn you, because every flower that blooms must also wilt and die. And every river that runs full and flowing must turn to dust, for that is the way of life and everyone knows that... I can’t hear the rest. I know that the wound is fatal and that he isn’t going to help me. I hummed my favourite song, it goes like this; my eyes are wide open, my conscience is clear. I am ready to face, whatever demons may appear...and drifted into a carefree nothingness
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Post war immigration
Topic: Immigration in
Hypothesis: Post war (1945) immigration influenced and changed
Ever since 1945, more than 6.8 million new settlers have come to make
After the Japanese nearly invaded the Northern tip of
… a powerful enemy looked hungrily toward
So, at the end of World War Two the Australian government took a completely different tactic to migration.
The Department of Immigration was set up in 1945, and was created to ensure that Prime Minister Ben Chifley’s fears would not become a reality. The Department of Immigration now known as the The Department of Immigration and Citizenship, determined that
This method of luring immigrants to
More than 100,000 people from over thirty different countries worked on the “Snowy Mountain Scheme”. Seventy percent of the schemes working population were immigrants. Working at
Many Anglo – Saxon Australians thought of these migrants as cheap labour, and did not treat them as equals. During this period, immigrants entering
The governments ‘Assimilation Policy’ was unsuccessful when applied to immigrants. Many of them refused to conform to the governments’ policy and they either went to other countries or back to their homeland. Realizing that the policy was having an adverse effect, the government changed the ‘Assimilation policy’ to the ‘Integration policy’. The ‘Integration policy’ had the same objective of the previous policy, but immigrants were given time for the transition. By 1927,
Although the government thought that immigration would be completely beneficial, there were some disadvantages. Some of the negative effects of post war immigration were that the immigrants would take Australian jobs, drain the economy and contribute to racial tension.
However, the benefits of post war immigration easily overshadow the disadvantages. Post war immigration produced jobs by raising demand and expanded government services, such as health care and transport. Immigrants paid tax, and they put their money back into the Australian economy. Immigrants brought cultural diversity to
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